Brands We Love and Why They're So Awesome

There are just some brands you know you’ll trust no matter what: these are brands that have won our hearts, earned our respect and kept us coming back for more.

We expertly draw their logos with our eyes closed, live our lives by their slogans and may probably even be on a first name basis with their mascots (I’m sure at least one brand has already come to mind at this point).

Then, there are those that we love to hate. They get on our nerves, make us roll our eyes and nothing they do seems to be right - but this is not a battle between which brands we love and hate for now. Let’s jump straight into how the pros do it instead, and explore how these brands have not just managed to become global icons, but our best friend too.

Here are four reasons why these brands are so awesome:

1. They have a truly compelling story

From a company that started out producing and selling ink and glue, the Sharpie today stands for far more than just its range of pens and markers – it also ‘stands up for self-expression’ and the wonders of creating something unique.

“Letting you be heard, putting you at the center of your world, helping you express all the ideas, feelings, moods, and memories you have with absolute conviction and absolute passion—that’s what Sharpie’s all about!” goes the brand’s biography. Rather than tell you why their ink is so special, their story appeals to our innate desires as humans and touches on something we can all relate to.

The best brands are built on great stories. If a humble marker can do it, what’s stopping the rest of us?

2. They are empathetic and emotional

You’ve probably heard of the phrase ‘when it comes to relationships, communication is key’. Well, beyond just constant communication, it has to be the right kind of communication. Everybody shows love and receives love in different ways, and there’s no exception when it comes to brands. When a brand communicates with its target audience, whatever they’re saying should resonate with the people they’re speaking to.

When Dove introduced its “Real Beauty” campaign to the world, they touched on real emotions that they knew mattered to their customers. From thought provoking social experiments like their Real Beauty Sketches campaign to posters featuring women outside the stereotypical norms of beauty, Dove is a brand that is rooted in listening to and understanding women – and just through the simple, sincere act of listening, they’ve managed to start a movement to widen the definition of beauty and encourage higher self-esteem, thereby engaging and empowering women all over the world.

Are you creating campaigns that make a difference to your audience?

3. They create logos that mean something

You know you’ve made it when your brand name becomes a verb. There’s FedEx, WhatsApp and of course, Google. With the need to Google almost anything, it has certainly become part of our daily lives – and I’m sure you’d recognize that logo anywhere. But what you probably don’t realize is how much thought went into the designing of this notable logo.

For Google, the logo uses a pattern of primary colours that is broken up by the secondary colour green. This rebel clearly doesn’t play by the rules. Eschewing flashy fonts or symbols even with its latest rebrand, Google proves to us how the simplest of colours and fonts can reflect the values it upholds.

Fans went crazy (and so did I 😍 ) after seeing this beautiful bowl of guacamole on their Instagram account. It cleverly reinforced that it was a brand determined to change. Promising to use only the freshest ingredients and a cooking 'process that was not processed', Chipotle has earned the trust of its loyal fans once again.

Ask yourself this: is your business a transparent one? If the answer is no, it’s about time to start asking why! People can always tell if you’re wearing a mask.

So! If there’s one thing we can learn from these brands, it would be this: instead of just functioning like a business or a commodity, they behave exactly how humans (the good ones) would – and I would totally buy into that!

Rachel drives the Digital Strategy team at AKÏN. As a huge believer that change starts with the simplest of things, she leverages on her role to guide brands towards realising the huge potential of the digital world, while concurrently nurturing their human side. To achieve this, she encompasses both the efficiency of online tools and the warmth of in-person networking, in order to build the company’s brand both on and offline.

Rachel graduated with Second Upper Class Honours in Social Science (Sociology) from the National University of Singapore. A dog and nature lover through and through, she enjoys hiking on her vacations, replenishing all that energy with good food, and coming home to her dogs, Coco and Chippy, at the end of the day. She also has a keen nose for scents just like them, particularly that of freshly baked bread and clean laundry.